A Malaysian government official said on Wednesday that an interfaith panel had been created to advise the government on trouble-some religious issues.
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism was established in response to recent tensions between the Muslim majority and minority faiths. The role of this group would be to help Malaysian leaders better understand these issues and make more informed decisions.
In December around 12 churches were attacked or firebombed after a judge ruled in favour of non-Muslims using the word Allah for God. For centuries now Arabic speaking non-Muslims have traditionally employed the phrase Allah in reference to God.
Although the government had banned non-Muslims from using the word Allah for God, the judge had ruled this ban as unconstitutional which fueled considerable tension between adherents of various religions. Retaliation attacks were made on several mosques and Muslim prayer halls.
The Malaysian government had banned the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims but the judge ruled that the ban was unconstitutional. The ruling sparked considerable tension between the Muslim and Christian communities in Malaysia.
60.4 percent of Malaysia is Muslim with Buddhists at 19.2 percent and Christians at 9.1. The recent religious discordance surprised many because the different faith groups had co-existed peacefully for generations.
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